Gay rights activists take out full page ad in Courier Mail

The equality organisation Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) has taken out a full page ad in Queensland’s Courier Mail today.

The ad is an open letter to Queensland Premier Newman, asking him if he is aware of his ability to “destroy families,” signed by PFLAG national spokesperson Shelley Argent.

The ad refers to a conversation Argent must have with her son, telling him that he can no longer live in Queensland if he wants to live a life of equality and happiness as a gay man.

It’s not the first time that PFLAG has used mainstream media to broadcast its message.

Argent told Mumbrella PFLAG paid for the ad from private funds, saying: “We only run these kinds of ads when there’s a real need; they’re very expensive.”

The ad is to protest the state government’s reduction of the Civil Unions legislation to a “Relationships Register”, as well as the lack of action taken on the so-called “gay-panic” defence, which allows an alleged non-violent homosexual advance to be cited as a partial defence for murder or assault charges.

There have also been moves flagged by the government to change surrogacy laws so that same-sex couples and single men and women in Queensland are not be able to become parents.

If gay or lesbian couples are fit and proper people, they should be as much able to be parents as straight couples, who are also fit and proper people. Queensland law should reflect this reality, not move back into some nineteenth century timewarp.

And just to really highlight something wonderful about the Gay Panic defence, the Christian Democrats MLC Fred Nile will chair a parliamentary select committee set to review laws which allow people charged with murder to use the ‘gay panic’ defence.

Brilliant. The most bigoted, homophobic man in Australia is chairing the review of the validity of the Gay Panic defence.